Here at PRWeek, we've been following the ways that the entertainment industry is incorporating more social media elements into its outreach, whether at the Olympics, the Oscars, or the Grammy Awards. Mashable has an overview of that trend.

The piece looks at four ways the entertainment industry is embracing social, including making TV participatory and bringing live sporting events to life online. Author David Yovanno, CEO of Gigya, also looks at how each element is beneficial to fans and to TV networks. When talking about making TV participatory, Yovanno notes:

TV has historically been a “lean back” form of entertainment -– just sit back on your couch and let your eyes and ears take it in. Reality TV shows like American Idol broke new ground by making TV participatory -– fans can take action and influence the outcomes — and social technologies are now helping to make TV a “lean forward” experience.